Article ID: | iaor20022901 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 40 |
Issue: | 1 |
Start Page Number: | 223 |
End Page Number: | 238 |
Publication Date: | Jan 2002 |
Journal: | International Journal of Production Research |
Authors: | Wu Naiqi, Zeng Wenqu |
Keywords: | production |
This paper addresses the problem of deadlock control in automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems for automated manufacturing systems with unidirectional guided paths. First, a Petri net (PN) model was developed for the problem. Then, by using the PN model developed, the condition for deadlock-free operation in AGV system and a control law are presented. To avoid deadlocks in AGV systems by this law, one needs only to observe the state of the system and check the number of free spaces available in some of the circuits. It is estimated that the proposed control law is simple enough to be used in the real-time control of contemporary system configuration. Three examples are used to show the application and efficiency of the proposed control law.